E-Business
Why Employee Collaboration is Key for Cybersecurity
By Emmanuel Asika
Many will hate to admit it, but it seems that, perhaps, it has become quite lucrative these days to be a cybercriminal. Firstly, it is a thriving business. For instance, according to the FBI, there was a 207% increase in in reported case of cybercrime reports between 2008 and 2021, and almost $7 billion (₦3,223,080,000,000) in losses last year.
In Nigeria, the peril of cybercrimes recorded a massive rise in the first six months of 2022, “with phishing and scams hitting 174%”.
According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) well over 2,800 persons were convicted of cybercrimes in the country last year, and the Consumer Awareness and Financial Enlightenment Initiative (CAFEI) has projected a $6 trillion loss by 2030 to cybercrime within and outside Nigeria.
Secondly, it has no entry requirement – yes, it is that easy and, quite cheap. Imagine this – the typical cost of compromised remote access credentials costs about ₦2,302 and can simply be bought on the dark web.
Cyber crooks use these passes to access their prey’s enterprise networks. A report, The Evolution of Cybercrime, showed that 75% of advertisements for malware and 91% for exploits costs less than ₦4,604.40. Some years ago, it was much more expensive. For instance, as of 2009, cybercriminals paid well over ₦3.6 million for a standard malware kit.
Worse still, it has become increasingly easier than ever before for these hackers to work together in a specialized and concerted secretive supply chain.
They have built fortes, proposing unique services like hiring of huge botnets to convey a customer’s preferred malware to thousands of targets, or hackers-for-hire who take full advantage of the destruction caused by ransomware – spreading an invasion of weak points in a network.
The result of all these is that workers in scattered workplaces around the globe are now in more danger than ever before. The unclear distinction between private and work devices means that hybrid staff are not always shielded by enterprise defenses, thus the risk of attacks is always there.
But there is a way out, and it lies with the employees who are usually the first line of defense, and they must work together. With computer crime now a part of how we do business, and growing, the only way to beat criminals is collaborating with one another to defend ourselves.
Knowing your enemies’ strategy
Hackers the world over betray trust in daily interfaces and exchanges online, mostly via emails, to gain access to systems. It is a known fact that email remains the most common means for hackers to secure illegal access to networks, and once they are in, they try to monetize their access—deactivating the group’s backups, stealing delicate information, and installing ransomware.
The effect of such violation can be grievous, leading to operational interruption, repairs, affect an organisation’s name, and lead to exposure of trade secrets and loss of intellectual property.
As a result, corporate groups and their employees must work together to fortify their lines in this highly increasing risky atmosphere.
Setting up your protective line
First, all employees must be conscious of the methods of hackers and promptly report any suspicious behaviour. They must also understand their respective roles in the defense of their organisation’s cyber systems.
The employers, on their part, must back these endeavors by inspiring a positive security culture where employees are given clear instructions to be watchful for phishing and IP protection, ask for help, collaborate on ways to advance cyber safety, and teach coworkers and family members.
As a group, companies and organisations should place emphasis on understanding the basics, constantly working on their resilience, and acting as a team to lessen their risk of exposure. Quality security begins with IT asset detection – you can only protect the devices, software and systems being used by your workers.
The next thing is to adhere to best practices in susceptibility management and multidimensional authentication, while putting in place the personnel, procedures, and know-how to spot, thwart, and recover from likely attacks. This entails anticipating and planning for the most unpleasant of scenarios, executing procedures to reduce supply chain and insider risks, and rehearsing your response.
Such rehearsal drills are not only important in getting you ready for the real attacks when they come, but also helps to expose hitherto unknown problems and inspire process improvements.
An organisation can also exploit the advantages of its security investments by closing known common attack routes, especially malware sent via email and the web, which can be nullified using prevention technologies like the hardware-enforced isolation of HP Sure Click Enterprise.
Such solutions help protect systems not by detecting malicious activity, but by allowing staffs to undertake normal daily routines, including risky undertakings like opening of email attachments safely and shielding IT departments against unidentified threats.
Collaborating with industry peers
Cyber security is a collaborative endeavor. Organisations can confidently strengthen the kind of actions and habits they will like their staff to adopt by vigorous and regular awareness sessions and exercises tailored to their needs.
A good example is HP’s recently released noir–inspired cybersecurity training film for its employees. This will help the organisation build a security culture, with staff encouraged to individually manage risks.
It must be pointed out too that these collaborations should not only be internal (within organisations), but also with other players in the industry. Such external cooperation, including sharing of threat intel, will help the organisation to gauge its cyber security strength and performance, equip it with current information on cybercrime trends and risks, and how best to stay ahead of cybercriminals in the current year, and in years to come.
Emmanuel Asika is Country Head, HP Nigeria
Identy.io, a United States-based cybersecurity and mobile biometric authentication company, has announced plans to process one billion biometric identity verification transactions in Nigeria within the next few years as digital banking adoption continues to expand across the country.
The company said increasing demand for secure digital identity systems within the banking, telecommunications, and public sectors is creating fresh opportunities for biometric authentication solutions, especially as financial institutions strengthen compliance and anti-fraud measures.
Speaking at an executive roundtable on mobile biometric innovation in Lagos, Jesus Aragon, chief executive officer, Identy.io, said Nigeria’s fast-growing digital financial services sector requires more reliable and scalable identity verification technology to support customer onboarding and transaction security.
He explained that the company’s mobile biometric solution enables users to verify their identities directly from their smartphones without depending on physical scanners, external devices, or centralized processing infrastructure.
The technology supports fingerprint and facial verification while functioning effectively in areas with limited internet connectivity.
According to Aragon, the platform is designed to integrate with Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) system and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), allowing financial institutions to carry out secure remote identity authentication.
He stated that the company’s technology includes liveness detection and deepfake identification features capable of detecting fake fingerprints, manipulated images, masks, and other fraudulent identity attempts during digital onboarding processes.
The Identy.io boss added that the company’s offline verification capability distinguishes it from several existing solutions in the market, noting that biometric authentication can be completed entirely on users’ mobile devices without constant internet access.
He further disclosed that biometric information captured during authentication remains on the user’s device instead of being transferred to external servers or centralized databases, reducing exposure to data breaches and cyberattacks.
Industry stakeholders at the roundtable also discussed the increasing pressure on Nigerian banks to improve customer verification processes following stricter regulatory directives by the Central Bank of Nigeria on Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance and fraud prevention.
Participants noted that agency banking operations in rural and low-connectivity locations continue to face security and onboarding challenges, creating demand for stronger and more flexible authentication systems.
Aragon maintained that biometric authentication could significantly reduce fraud associated with passwords and one-time passwords (OTPs), stressing that biometrics provide stronger identity assurance for financial transactions.
The company also confirmed that it has expanded its footprint across Africa, Latin America, and the United States, with operational presence already established in Nigeria and Kenya.
Aragon expressed confidence that Nigeria’s banking and telecom industries would generate massive biometric verification volumes in the coming years as financial inclusion and digital payment systems continue to deepen nationwide.
TD Africa, in collaboration with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Operated by Selectium, hosted a high-level partner engagement event on May 14, 2026, focused on emerging trends shaping the future of enterprise networking and infrastructure transformation.
TD Africa
The engagement brought together key partners to explore how organisations can build smarter, faster, and more secure network infrastructures capable of supporting today’s rapidly evolving digital economy. Central to the discussions was the growing relevance of WiFi 7 and the shift from traditional networking models to intelligent, AI-driven infrastructure ecosystems.
As businesses continue to accelerate digital transformation, conversations at the event centred on a critical question: Is your infrastructure ready for the speed of transformation? From edge-to-cloud connectivity and IoT integration to AI-enabled networking and advanced security frameworks, the session highlighted the increasing demand for agile, scalable, and resilient enterprise solutions.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Ifee Kojo, Country Manager, HPE Operated by Selectium, highlighted HPE’s commitment to helping organisations modernise their infrastructure and navigate the future of connectivity. “HPE is driving transformation across the entire technology ecosystem, from the data centre to the edge, from IoT to AI-powered connectivity.
“Our focus is on helping businesses strengthen security, improve scalability, and build intelligent infrastructures that support innovation and growth.
“Through our strong partner TD Africa, we can extend these solutions more effectively into the market, ensuring organisations have access to the right technologies needed to compete and thrive in a rapidly evolving digital world,” she said.
Also speaking, Chioma Chimere, Coordinating Managing Director at TD Africa, emphasised the importance of future-ready networking in enabling business resilience and long-term digital growth. “Networking today is no longer just about connectivity; it has become the backbone of enterprise transformation.
“As organisations embrace AI, cloud environments, remote operations, and data-driven systems, the need for secure, intelligent, and scalable infrastructure becomes even more critical.
“TD Africa is committed to ensuring our partners are equipped with the right technologies, insights, and support needed to navigate this shift successfully.
“Our collaboration with HPE reflects our shared commitment to helping businesses modernise confidently and prepare for the future of digital innovation,” she stated.
Through strategic collaborations with global Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) like HPE, TD Africa continues to strengthen its position as a key distributor of enterprise and networking solutions across Africa, enabling partners and organisations to access cutting-edge technologies backed by technical expertise, market reach, and ecosystem support.
E-Business
Jumia Nigeria Records Strong Q1 2026 Growth as Technology-Led Strategy Drives Market Expansion
Jumia has announced strong first-quarter 2026 performance results, with Nigeria emerging as one of the company’s standout growth markets across Africa, reinforcing the country’s position as a critical driver of the company’s long-term expansion strategy.
According to the company’s Q1 2026 financial results released May 7th, 2026, Nigeria recorded a 42% year-on-year increase in physical goods Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), making it one of Jumia’s strongest-performing markets during the period.
Commenting on the performance, Temidayo Ojo, CEO of Jumia Nigeria, said, “Nigeria continues to demonstrate the strength and resilience of its digital commerce ecosystem. The growth we recorded in Q1 reflects increasing consumer confidence, stronger engagement across our platform, and our continued investment in technology, logistics, and customer experience.”
“We are seeing more Nigerians embrace e-commerce not just for convenience, but as a trusted part of everyday life. Our focus remains on building a platform that is more accessible, more reliable, and more relevant to the evolving needs of Nigerian consumers and sellers,” Ojo further mentioned.
The company attributed its broader growth trajectory to disciplined execution, operational efficiency, and increased deployment of technology and AI-driven systems across its operations.
According to the report, Jumia leveraged artificial intelligence and automation across operations, finance, customer support, cybersecurity, seller management, logistics, and technology teams to improve service quality while reducing operational costs company-wide.
The company also noted that technology and content expenses declined year-on-year due to ongoing headcount optimisation and savings from renegotiated technology contracts, while operational leverage continued to improve. They further highlighted increased use of AI tools among its technology teams, alongside automation in call centres and operational systems, as part of efforts to scale sustainably while improving efficiency across African markets.
Across the platform, Jumia reported significant gains in customer retention and marketplace engagement. Quarterly Active Customers reached 2.5 million, while physical goods orders climbed to 5.9 million in Q1 2026.
The company also expanded usage beyond major urban centres, with 62% of total orders now coming from secondary cities and upcountry regions, emphasising the growing reach of digital commerce across Africa.
Despite global economic pressures, including rising memory chip and CPU prices and supply chain disruptions linked to ongoing Middle East conflicts, the company reaffirmed its path toward profitability. Jumia stated that it remains on track to achieve Adjusted EBITDA breakeven and positive cash flow in Q4 2026, with full-year profitability targeted for 2027.
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